Audi Reveals More Urban Concept Pics Ahead Of Frankfurt Show

It seems that Audi just can't contain itself with its latest concept cars, the two-seater Urban Concepts.

Three weeks ago some spy videos trickled onto the internet showing the camoflaged electric car being driven around in the center of Berlin. The very next day Audi revealed its first sketches of the concept vehicle, and since then we've also had a rather content-light video and further sketches of an open-top version of the car.

Now Audi has teased us further, ahead of the concept's official unveiling at the Frankfurt Auto Show next month.

The new computer-generated images give us a better impression of the concept's styling, which actually looks more radical than the vehicle we first saw in the Berlin videos. As with the sketches, the styling is dominated by the large wheel housings sprouting from each corner of the vehicle, under which sit large 21-inch diameter wheels.

The traditional Audi grille leaves you in no doubt as to what make of car the Urban Concept is, and the large red stripe has echoes of the Audi R8's side air intakes.

In concept, the vehicle isn't dissimilar from the old Messerschmitt bubble cars sold during the 1950s, with a relatively narrow cabin width and a wheel at each corner. However, interior space (and comfort) should be up to typical Audi standards, and to improve the feeling of space the seats are side by side, but offset. The controls have a strong resemblance to the Volkswagen XL1 concept previewed earlier this year.

According to U.K. magazine Autocar, the Urban Concepts use a 15kW electric motor and lithium ion battery pack, and Audi claims a top speed of 62mph, with range of only 37 miles - so the concepts really are meant exclusively for an urban environment.

Read More: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1065530_audi-reveals-more-urban-concept-pics-ahead-of-frankfurt-show

Euro-Only Audi A8 Hybrid for 2012 Revealed, Four-Cylinder and Electric Motor Combine for 245 hp

Audi showed off a seemingly production-ready A8 hybrid “concept” at last year’s Geneva auto show, and now it has announced the production specs for the big Euro-market sedan. The A8 hybrid’s dirty bits are nearly identical to those of the concept, meaning the car will combine a 211-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four with a 54-hp electric motor that replaces the eight-speed automatic’s torque converter. Audi claims the A8 hybrid is good for 37 mpg on the Euro combined cycle, and that it can motivate itself to 62 mph in 7.7 seconds.

The four-cylinder and electric motor are good for a combined 245 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque, slightly higher than Audi claimed for the concept. The production A8 hybrid can also accelerate up to 62 mph and travel 1.86 miles on electric power alone, both improvements compared with the 40-mph and 1-mile figures quoted for the concept. As we reported from the A8 hybrid’s Geneva reveal, the car won’t make it to the U.S., despite such natural competitors as the Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid and Lexus LS600h. Audi sells the A8 in small volumes here, and there isn’t much justification for sending over an even smaller-volume model such as the hybrid.

Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/euro-only-audi-a8-hybrid-for-2012-revealed-four-cylinder-and-electric-motor-combine-for-245-hp/

2012 Audi A7 3.0T Quattro - Comparison Tests

The A7 is what the Porsche Panamera should have been. It certainly looks less improvised, more of-a-piece, and unlike the Porsche’s shotgun marriage of  brand-identity markers to interior dimensional requirements. While the Panamera has sold well, luxury hatchbacks are still rare enough to be an untested novelty, so Audi deserves—and here receives—credit for ditching caution and winging it with a beguiling departure from the routine.

Unlike the Benz, the A7’s intriguing lines only enhance its practicality. Its 1.1-inch advantage in wheelbase widens the rear door openings and opens up legroom for the back passengers. As in the CLS, artistic shaping of the headliner leaves adequate head clearance for six-footers in back, but the A7’s cargo area, accessed through the powered hatch, is 67 percent larger than the CLS’s trunk. Fold the seats using the releases on the seatbacks if you need to haul not just golf clubs but one or two sand traps as well.

The skeletal stiffness in the A7 is amazing despite the gaping hole in the rear body. Without visible crossbracing, you’d expect some flex, some extra flutter through the floor and doors from the harder impacts, but the A7 absorbs it all. Steering column isolation is likewise wondrous.

In the chassis tests, including our new slalom exercise, the A7 takes the pennant, especially on the skidpad, with 0.93 g worth of grip. Audi opted for a lighter steering heft than Mercedes, which helps hasten quick inputs, but suffused it with progressive loading and responsiveness. Neither car threatens a BMW M3 on steering charm, but both supply the satisfaction suggested by their flamboyant designs.

Pitch and roll are likewise thoroughly dampened in the A7—the four suspension/throttle modes are triggered through the data screen—and we judged the ride, though fairly unyielding on the optional 20s and sport suspension, superior overall. The Benz steps more heavily into potholes and with a greater shock through the rafters. Still, over rough surfaces, the Audi booms and slaps its tires more audibly.

Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/11q3/2012_audi_a7_3.0t_quattro_vs._2012_mercedes-benz_cls550-comparison_tests/2012_audi_a7_3.0t_quattro_page_3

2011 Audi Urban Concept official teaser video

This is a teaser video for the new 2011 Audi Urban Concept that will be officially revealed at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show in September. However, you can see the new concept in our exclusive spy shots by following the link below.

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1064689_audi-urban-concept-2011-frankfurt-...